Ill Repute, Pt. 3

"Hmm," I said to myself. (Loudly, with great feeling!) "How many people still view the Sam and Fuzzy website on 800 x 600 monitors?" Fortunately, reviewing some Google Analytics data has yielded the answer. And the answer is "about 17."

So to you, my 17 friends, I bring bad news. I am redesigning the Sam and Fuzzy site right now, and I am making it a little wider than your screen resolution. I really don't mean to be a jerk about it, but Uncle Sam (the non-political one) needs those extra pixels to fit in some new features and make everything look pretty and spacious. Thank you in advance for taking one for the team and getting a little extra practice operating that horizontal slidebar. (Although something tells me you might have a lot of practice with it already!)

Our new bundle of bonus comics and desktop images emails out to all our Book Club this Thursday! If you don't have a copy of Sam and Fuzzy Are Very Famous yet, you can still get on the bonus action... just make sure you place your order on or by Wednesday, and you should have the bonus pack emailed to you automatically on Thursday. (Also, you'll get a book or something, I hear those are good!)

And Book Clubbers, don't forget: I am still calling on YOU to send in your ideas for our next bonus desktops, so email away! I'll be picking my ten favourites and including them in a poll with the Feb. 29 bonus pack, so members can elect the subject of our next bonus pack desktop using the power of democracy.

ALSO don't forget: Book Clubbers... I want your suggestions for our next bonus desktops, so email me your ideas! I'll be picking my ten favourites and including them in a poll with the Feb. 29 bonus pack... whichever idea gets the most votes will get turned into a real desktop for the next pack. Bam!

Sam and Fuzzy Q & A: Steam EditionGot a question you want answered? Just drop me an email with "Q & A" in the subject line!

"Not so much a question but, you have to make a Steam Power: 100% Practical For Everything shirt. Which would of course have to be steam powered. (And could you please consider a Marvel style Book Club Pack? You've done DC Comics, Serenity & Clockwork Orange which were all great but Marvel would be AMAZING!!!)" -Nick

A lot of people have asked about a Steam Power shirt! Sometimes I don't see people's requests coming, but that last panel definitely just turned out a little "t-shirty" -- I realized it as soon as I drew it. What do the rest of you think? Does this sound like something you'd like? I think there is potential in there, but for an actual shirt design I'd definitely change the visuals a bit to directly incorporate some of Theophilus' inventions.

(Bonus triva: Theophilus, despite appearing in Sam and Fuzzy, is actually a character that Shannon and I created for a potential project completely unrelated to S&F... although the "real" Theo is a bit more competent and a bit less completely screwball than his alternate universe counterpart.)

"As I recall, Sam once single-handedly evaded treacherous assassination by one of his most elite blankface operatives, beat him nearly to death with his bare hands, and then ordered him kicked off the top of a building. It seems like Fuzzy could drop this little tidbit for some "underworld credentials". Has he forgotten, or is he honoring his promise not to tell?" -Lucian

Two reasons! One: like you mentioned, Sam is not exactly comfortable talking about what happened. And two: few if any others know anything about it at all. Only a tiny handful of people are aware that Blank was even there that day. So defeating Blank is not something Sam really has a reputation for... or something people would be likely to believe if he told them.

"Does the underground not have a currency conversion center? I imagine with so many developed culture's, there should be decent foreign policy and communication to survive down there, and relevant services. Did Sam just not think to go look around for people who would exchange cat currency for dollars?" -Chad

Man, it's super annoying, but currency centers outside Catopia give a TERRIBLE exchange rate. It's probably because they're only really used within the closed-to-outsiders city of Catopia itself, which makes them low-in-demand outside the city and a big hassle to exchange back. Plus, they start to smell bad after a few days.

"How come in the older comics, Blank and Black always had their masks covering their entire face, even when they're drinking tea and crying, but X and Y sometimes have their masks rolled up halfway to show their mouth?" -Emily

Alas, X and Y's ninja skills are just not as highly developed as Blank and Black. Drinking through your mask is kind of the Mona Lisa of... ninja abilities... or something.

In more practical comic-making terms, X and Y are a little less "restrained" than their predecessors, and are constantly bursting into rooms while screaming at the top of their lungs. Sometimes you just really need a visual of a big open mouth to sell all that shouting!

That's a wrap for this week, team! See you on Monday.

-Sam Logan

Feb 22, 2012

Thank you

Thank you to everyone for all the kind emails, forum posts and tweets following Monday's big announcement! I am super lucky to have you guys in my corner, and I can't wait to have more comics, art, and other projects to share with you.

Unfortunately, towards the end of the day, we started having some totally unrelated problems with my email account. It should be all fixed now, though! So if you sent me an email and it bounced back, please resend it! I will totally read it and everything.

And don't forget, Book Clubbers... I'm also looking for your suggestions for our next bonus desktops! If you've got a killer idea, just email it to me. I'll be picking my ten favourites and including them in a poll with the Feb. 29 bonus pack... whichever idea gets the most votes will get turned into a real desktop for the next bonus pack!